Meet Bruno Justi of Sounds Two Inspire and Bee My Ears in South Pasadena

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. (I’m Brazilian, so forgive me for any grammar mistakes). I’m passionate about music. I also love working with photography, design, filming, branding, and marketing. Every day I am inspired by songs, photographs, videos, a simple chat at a coffee shop, or when I see a small local business with a creative branding strategy.

In 2011, I moved from Brazil to Los Angeles to pursue my vocation for music after years working in a corporate environment. The reason I made this move was that I realized that we spend too much time living the life that we are told is the ideal one, but which is actually just the safest one. This fear of living outside of the “ideal” prevents us from living the lives that we dream of, and of pursuing the vocations that we love. We wake up every morning already rushing to keep up with our tight schedules and in the race to keep up, we forget the greater purpose of our life.

I’ve accompanied artists on tours in Japan, Brazil, Mexico, USA; recorded with and performed with several world-class musicians and producers; produced independent artists; photographed a bunch of cool places and inspiring artists; directed some fun music videos; taught music and guitar; coached artists on music marketing; and I also have failed here and there!

From the experience of working with all these things that inspire me, I co-created (I believe that nothing is created by ourselves only, it all comes from experiences and thoughts exchanged with other people) two projects to which I dedicate my life (apart from being a guitarist/music producer): 1) Bee My Ears and 2) Sounds Two Inspire. I’ll describe them in the next questions.

Has it been a smooth road? Not at all. The career transition was really hard in the beginning, especially since I had no experience in the music industry when I moved to LA. A completely different culture, language, work environment and a completely different way of making money. I started from zero, went to a music college in Pasadena, where I met my best friends and learned tools that helped me to become a professional musician.

The music industry has changed a lot over the past years. For some people, it may be negative (comfortable zone) but I find it to be very positive and inspiring because of all the possibilities that come with the changes. Every industry and every aspect of our lives change with time and that’s what makes us evolve. At the end of the day, struggles to help us to reassure that we are on the right path and aligned with our life purpose.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with 1-) Sounds Two Inspire / 2-) Bee My Ears – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others. Bee My Ears (to be launched in Brazil in a couple of months): An innovative music research and music business platform that connects independent artists with an opinion builder audience and with renowned music industry professionals – our Premium Listeners. The platform will be available for Brazilian market first and will mostly connect independent artists from that country with professionals that are based both in Brazil and Los Angeles.

Through the platform, the listener will get paid to give their honest opinion about artistic content and by doing that, they will contribute directly to the development of the music business.

The artist will be able to create a profile and promote their work for free. Artists who purchase one of the available plans will receive a detailed report based on the public and Premium Listeners opinion, which will give them valuable insight and feedback to better plan their career and promote their artistic work. Artists with better rates will be presented to producers, licensing companies, and agencies.

Sounds Two Inspire: The sound alone moves the body. Sound with a purpose moves the soul. A video series that combines interviews and live music videos that explore the unique journeys that inspire musicians to pursue their creative vocations. Each interviewed artist shares the intentions and inspirations behind their music, discuss how they have been moved by music, and reveal why their music has the power to move others.

The series also explores what happens when an artist pairs their music with an intention or a higher purpose, and shares that powerfully-inspired music with another musician.

Each episode showcases this magical moment between two musicians in a live music video, with a performance by the guest artist and Producer Bruno Justi, who accompanies each artist on guitar, helping to bring their songs to life.

The result is a series of videos that inspire musicians and non-musicians alike. It celebrates the power of the song and creativity in its most honest form.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least? Best: The culture – it’s so diverse and I find it incredible that LA has room for every kind of people, from all ethnicities and tastes. That cultural pot inspires people to exchange more and come up with more creative projects.

Least: A very simple thing that everybody could do but I don’t see it very often: no recycling (or at least not available in every neighborhood) and lack of consciousness when it comes to goods consumption. I read that 4 Billion Starbucks To-Go Cups Thrown Away Each Year. And that’s just Starbucks. =)